A blend of one part hydrogen and nine parts natural gas can power gas turbines.
Two companies, Snam, a natural gas transport and storage firm, and Baker Hughes, an energy technology company carried out tests in Italy, taking a new step towards the switch to green energy.
Green hydrogen, which is obtained from water electrolysis powered by wind and solar energy, is the ideal replacement for fossil fuels used for steel making or heavy transport that are struggling to slash carbon emissions.
In view of the energy crisis in Europe since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the sharp increase in fossil fuel prices, green hydrogen is a more affordable option and a better long-term solution to decarbonise economies.
The global green hydrogen production market is projected to reach $226 billion by 2030, expanding at compound annual growth rate of 6.4 per cent.
The growing appetite for green hydrogen was evident during the COP27, where a bloc — the G7, China, India, Australia and South Korea — which accounts for half of the global gross domestic product (GDP), announced its hydrogen priorities for 2023 as part of a 25-point action plan. The target to deploy “50 large scale net zero emission industrial plants” is likely to create demand for hydrogen for the fertiliser, steel and cement industries, to name a few.
The countries said they want more hydrogen projects across diverse geographies and end-use sectors, but did not define what “hydrogen valleys” would look like. They called for greater knowledge sharing through the multi-national platform Mission Innovation.
Even before the COP 27 initiative, Egypt has been investing heavily in green hydrogen in a bid to phase out fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions with a pipeline of $40 billion in funding, set up by the National Committee, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and other international partners to accelerate development of green hydrogen projects. A report from Rystad Energy said the development pipeline in Egypt has the potential for 11.62GW by 2035.
This tendency by the Egyptian government to make Egypt a green hydrogen hub is reinforced every day with several agreements and memoranda of understanding that attracted the leading green hydrogen investors. The latest of these efforts was translated into action when Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnessed last week the signing of seven MoUs to produce green hydrogen.
The MoUs were signed with Saudi ACWA Power, the Benchmark Alliance, the Holding Company for Chemical Industries, the China Energy Company, Germany’s DAI, the Indian company Ocior Energy and the VoltaLia — TAQA and BP.
The recent signing with these alliances follows the previous successes in the same context, as 16 other developers were previously signed up to implement green hydrogen production projects, while a framework agreement was signed with nine of these developers in preparation for the implementation of projects, during Energy Day within the activities of COP27.
In its effort to position itself as a centre for green hydrogen production in the region, Egypt is supported with unmatched qualities including the availability of vast areas of land with sources of renewable energy from wind and sunshine, as well as its distinguished geographical location with easy access to Europe and other parts of the world due to its marine outlets on the Mediterranean and Red seas.
